The 2000th photo in the Gallery came from a Set of Photos on Griffith Rhys Jones aka the Conductor from Trecynon of the famous ‘Côr Mawr’ of some 460 voices (the South Wales Choral Union), which twice won first prize at Crystal Palace choral competitions in London in the 1870s.
Apart from the Church of St Elvan’s, Caradog is the most prominent landmark in Aberdare Town, located at the head of Victoria Square, beyond the War Memorial.
Honestly Guv, we’re not militarist, war-loving type people… we are latter day peaceniks. The snaps are just because we love bronze sculptures. Look there, we have Henry Richard and Keir Hardie, both pacifists.
Thus our conscience does battle with the fact we spend much of our blogging time discussing imagery of war sculptures and memorials.
Photos of Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart are now available in the Gallery.
The sculpture is situated in Gorsedd Gardens, opposite the National Museum of Wales, in Cardiff.
The sculptor was Sir William Goscombe John.
So what does Lampeter War Memorial have in common with the Valleys town of Aberdare ? There is a clue in the photograph. The memorial was sculpted by the eminent Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John.
Goscombe John designed the Lampeter War Memorial and it was unveiled in 1921. A year earlier his statue of the conductor Griffith Rhys Jones – known as ‘Caradog’ – was unveiled in Victoria Square Aberdare.
Goscombe John designed a number of war memorials situated in Wales, including one at Penarth, Llandaff, and Carmarthen (photos published on Aberdare Blog previously here).
Both were sculpted by William Goscombe John.
Yng ngheiriau prosiect Casglu’r Tlysau : “Cofeb Evan a James James, awdur geiriau ac alaw anthem genedlaethol Cymru, ‘Hen Wlad fy Nhadau’. Cafodd y cerfluniau eu cynllunio gan Syr William Goscombe John a’u dadorchuddio gan Arglwydd Treowen ym 1930 gerbron torf o 10,000.
Roedd Evan James (Ieuan ap Iago, 1809-93) yn wehydd a gwerthwr gwlân wrth ei alwedigaeth ac hefyd yn berchen tafarn yr Ancient Druid Inn yn Argoed, Bedwellte, Sir Fynwy. Symudodd i Bontypridd pan oedd ei fab James (Iago ap Ieuan, 1833-1902) yn fachgen ifanc. Evan James a’i fab James a gyfansoddodd anthem genedlaethol Cymru, ‘Hen Wlad fy Nhadau’ ym 1856. Roedd Evan yn barddoni a chredir mai ef a ysgrifennodd y geiriau ac mai ei fab James a gyfansoddodd yr alaw. Cyhoeddwyd y gân yn y gyfrol ‘Gems of Welsh Melody’ (1860) a daeth yn hynod boblogaidd ymron ar unwaith. Nid yw’n sicr pryd yn union y cafodd y gân ei mabwysiadu fel anthem cenedlaethol Cymru.”
